Jolson Blog: Part V Asa the Magnificent Minstrel's Voice Drops a Few Octaves
"Jolson's voice dropped a few octaves, but he was the same human dynamo whether he was in a recording studio or on stage or in the movies."
Yowza, Yowza, Yowza. This is Brian Marcus Decker, for the Jolson and Friends blog located on the web at www.JolsonBlog.com, which is the first tech-nostalgic blog dedicated to the musical influences of Al Jolson and Friends.
Well folk, next to last stop is Part V of "Asa, the Magnificent Minstrel", an informative six-part series on Al Jolson with another fellow Jolson auteur, Dr. Larry I. Gaum. He has produced a very informative and award-winning documentary in Canada entitled "Asa, the Magnificent Minstrel."
Free Jolson and Friends Podcasts
After collecting audio assets for five Jolson related interviews, in the last few months I launched the First Jolson Podcast and you can listen to the entire six-part Asa, the Magnificent Minstrel interview with Dr. Larry I. Gaum and seven-part series on Vaudeville with authors Trav S.D. as well as Sybil Jason.
To listen to the free Jolson and Friends Blog Podcast published audio files
Use www.feed.jolsonblog.com and click on:
Jolson and Friends Blog Podcast: Asa the Magnificent Minstrel Interview Part V
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Last Chance to Attend the Eleventh Annual Long Island Jolson Festival
A Tribute to Al Jolson on Saturday, September 8 featuring special guest of honor Herb Goldman author of "Jolson The Legend Comes To Life", Tony Babino "The Heart of Al Jolson", , Radio Personality Joe Franklin, Janet Cantor Gari - daughter of Eddie Cantor and Brian Gari - grandson of Eddie Cantor.
This fantastic event will take place 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 P.M at:
Elks Lodge #1
57 Hempstead Avenue
Lynbrook, NY 11563
This year held at a new location!
Just 35 minutes from NYC Penn Station via Long Island Railroad to Lynbrook Station, L.I.
Tickets are $38.50 per person including meals and entertainment. If you cannot come for the whole day, you may attend just the show, with no food, for $20. PLEASE BOOK EARLY!
For more information go to www.jolson.org/ or email any questions or comments to Jan Hernstat at: jolsonvp@optonline.net .
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Jolson Blog: Part V Asa the Magnificent Minstrel Interview
"But when he got into the movies and the recordings, especially after they introduced the mike, I am only surmising this, but they probably said to him, "Look, Mr. Jolson, you can't dance around here like you do at the Winter Garden Theater. You've got to calm it down a bit because if you belt out a song in the movie with the microphones and in the studio, everyone's going to go deaf."
Brian Marcus Decker: Unfortunately, there are very few people that I have met or interviewed who really had the privilege to see Jolson perform live. In fact most Jolson fans, including myself, really did experience Jolson through the Decca recordings that were featured from The Jolson Story and the sequel, Jolson Sings Again. While these recordings really demonstrated Jolson's deeper richness, they lacked some of the original frenetic and endless energy that supported Jolson's rightful claim as the world's greatest entertainer. What are some of your thoughts on this issue and can you give some examples of perhaps some of your favorite early versus later Jolson recordings?
Dr. Larry I. Gaum: Jolson's voice dropped a few octaves, but he was the same human dynamo whether he was in a recording studio or on stage or in the movies.
As far as comparing his performances on stage as opposed to his recordings, movies, etc. and so forth, in the early years when Jolson performed, you know they performed without a microphone. So you had to exaggerate and over-exaggerate your actions, your voice, you had to literally sort of holler them out and project to the back of the theater. When Jolson was climbing through the ranks, he had to do as other performers did. They had to do a lot of projection and they had to accentuate their actions, their arms, their legs, it was not unusual.
But when he got into the movies and the recordings, especially after they introduced the mike, I am only surmising this, but they probably said to him, "Look, Mr. Jolson, you can't dance around here like you do at the Winter Garden Theater. You've got to calm it down a bit because if you belt out a song in the movie with the microphones and in the studio, everyone's going to go deaf."
However, having said that, one of the movies that he was in, where he sang I'm Sitting on Top of the World, if you can't see the dynamo, the activity, the verve, the excitement in Jolson when he did that song and that performance, then you've got to be blind. Again, those that suggest that he was better on stage, that maybe so, but every once in a while in some of his performances on tape and on film and on records, he just belted forth. And when I watched that clip, I'm Sitting on Top of the World, which I've also included in the documentary, I get the feeling of Jolson without any exception whatsoever, and I say, "That's how he performed on stage." He just, matter of fact, he turned to his piano player and he said, "Okay, let's have Sitting on Top of the World. Tell the boys in the band to play Sitting on Top of the World." And before he even gave the piano accompanist a chance, he turned around and he said, "Okay boys, Sitting on Top of the World." I said, "Jesus, that's Jolson, that was Jolson, that is Jolson and that's the real Jolson". So, again, people may disagree, but I think I have a good sense of making my own observations. I think that's really it.
PART VI September 16, 2007: Conclusion of Asa, the Magnificent Minstrel Interview with Dr. Larry I. Gaum
- Well, Jolson was clearly revered by his peers as a human dynamo with endless energy, second-to-none, as supported by some of the of the really great quotes in your film by people like George Burns and Georgie Jessel and William Demarest. However, you also note that there was another side of Jolson's personality that was extremely egotistical and openly criticized by some of his fellow performers. Who were some of these performers?
- I was very I was very excited to hear that you'd been working on a new project. Would you like to share that with us?
- Larry, one last question, how can people purchase "Asa, the Magnificent Minstrel?
This is Brian Marcus Decker and thank you for joining us on the Jolson and Friends blog.
This is the first and most important blog dedicated to the life and musical influences of the legendary Al Jolson, "The World's Greatest Entertainer" and Friends including Jewish entertainers Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, Fanny Brice, George Jessel, Jack Benny, and George Burns. Jolson, the "immortal Jewish minstrel" was the first 20th century Jewish performer who was loved, worshiped and adored by millions of people all over the world. And please come visit us again at www.jolsonblog.com, and certainly feel free to listen to the audio podcasts.
Jolson and Friends Blog Required Reading List
No Applause--Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous (Paperback) by Trav S.D.
Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon
My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood (Paperback) by Sybil Jason.
Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon
When Jolson Was King: (Paperback) by Richard Grudens.
Richard Grudens has written an entertaining and informative (must read) book for anyone interested in the legendary, Al Jolson "The World's Greatest Entertainer".
"The book contains many facets of Jolson' career including those around him, his competition, employers, and comments from those he inspired enough to form their own careers, the issue of minstrel, blackface performers, fabled stories of the famed Friar's Club, a chapter of the infamous Shubert Brothers, and chapters covering Jolson's experiences in film, radio and his extensive USO travels. Covered too are vignettes of the theatres in which Jolson performed, and of those great theatrical competitors like the Barrymore's and where they were voicing their talents while Jolson was pulling them in at the Winter Garden, and a full feature on Jolson's films from the first talkie, The Jazz Singer to his famed bio-pics The Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again." - Richard Grudens
Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon
Changes to Jolson and Friends Blog
In the upcoming months I am looking to continue to evolve the Jolson and Friends Blog and wanted preview some upcoming changes. As of this post, I am promoting the sale of Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Houdini, History of Baseball and several other unique Limited Edition T-shirt designs (featured above) and matching gift cards (with free shipping). The sales from these items help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Due to the time intensive nature of ongoing research, content development, production and maintaining and the Blog, the next blog update will happen on September 16, 2007.
I am starting to work on several future Jolson and Friends projects including:
- Jolson and Friends Recommended Reading and Viewer Lists including cost-saving shopping links to find out-of-print books, videos and more.
- Expanded global coverage of local events.
- Future podcasts of upcoming interviews and special performance-based content.
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